EU migrants under 30 may get 2-year UK visas after Brexit

Young migrants from the European Union could receive preferential treatment when they apply for visas to live and work in the United Kingdom after it quits the bloc, British media reported.

This was suggested by the UK’s Migration Advisory Committee, which was tasked by Home Secretary Amber Rudd to look into future costs and benefits of EU immigration, according to The Telegraph newspaper.

“There are a number of reasons for this — younger migrants have a longer working life ahead of them so have a higher chance of making a net positive contribution to the public finances,” the report was quoted as saying Friday.

The committee suggested that EU nationals under 30 should automatically get two-year visas and be prioritized when re-applying for residential and working permits.

Cuts to immigration were one of the main demands ahead of the UK’s vote on EU membership last year. The union regards freedom of movement as a core value, but the British government has promised to keep annual EU immigration below 100,000. Immigration stood at 248,000 in 2016.